It All Started With A Twig
by scarymez101
Summary: <html><head></head>A series of challenges set for me. Rating may change in the future depending on the nature of the challenge set. Please read and review. Enjoy!</html>
1. Chapter 1

**A/N- My first fanfic ever so please be nice =) so this was a challenge set by my brother. We both had to write a one-shot, 1000 or less, using the words twig (hence the title), candle and skyline, in the same sentence at least once (his idea not mine). He has written one, but he's too lazy to set up his own account, so when its typed up, I'll add it as another cahpter. ****This is my challenge and it is 1000 words, no matter what the word count says.**

**I tried to make it funny, but I don't know how well I did =/**

**I don't own Merlin (sadly *sniff*)  
>No spoilers<br>No warnings**

**Enjoy!**

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><p>A bright blue light flashed and Arthur fell to the floor with a grunt.<p>

"Arthur!" Merlin yelled. He ran forward to help the stunned Prince. "Arthur, are you ok?"

"Soup?" The Prince asked in a daze. The spell had left him confused.

"That's a no then." Merlin looked around for the sorcerer responsible. He saw him fleeing the scene, racing from the main gates toward the forest, his cloak billowing out behind him. Merlin raised his hand and pointed it in the direction of the sorcerer. "_Forbearnan!_" He yelled without thinking. The cloak was set on fire and engulfed the evil man. He started screaming and, within seconds, he was dead.

"Merlin?" Arthur asked quietly. He sat up and looked from Merlin, to the smouldering pile of ashes and back to Merlin again. "You're going riding?"

Merlin frowned. "What?"

Arthur's brow creased. He was sure he'd just meant to ask if Merlin was a sorcerer.

"AREST THAT MAN!"

Both men whipped their heads round and saw Uther storming towards them, with what seemed to be every single guard in Camelot following behind, his face twisted with rage.

"Oh no," Merlin groaned.

"Eat cabbage," Arthur said in a reassuring voice. He'd meant to say _don't worry._

"Arthur!" Uther shouted. "Are you alright? I saw what he-"

Arthur raised his hand to stop him. "Merlin played a song on the boat." He shook his head. _Why can't I speak properly? _Arthur thought furiously. _Every time I open my mouth, I talk a load of rubbish!_

"Seize him!" Uther spat. "Do not worry my son," Uther said to Arthur as the guards hauled Merlin away to the dungeon. "We will find a way to undo what he did to you."

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><p>The Prince now knew that his manservant was a being of magic, but he didn't care. Merlin had saved his life, again, and all he could feel was gratitude toward the newly discovered sorcerer. All Arthur was concerned with, was the problem with his speech.<p>

_It must have been the spell,_ thought Arthur as he paced up and down in his chambers. _Every time I try and say something, I speak nonsense._

He closed his eyes. "I'm a rabbit who eats cheese." Arthur frowned then grunted loudly in frustration. He'd _meant _to say 'I am Prince Arthur of Camelot'.

_I need to speak to Merlin._

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><p>Arthur strode into the dungeon and stormed past the guards on duty. They didn't stop him, thinking that the Prince was livid with his servant; they knew better than to rile him further!<p>

Once he had rounded the corner, he stopped and tried to speak normally again. "I can lick my own elbow." Shaking his head he continued Merlin's cell. He only hoped Merlin could help him, so he could return the favour… before it was too late.

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><p>Merlin sat on the floor of his cell with his head in his hands.<em> Its' finally happened,<em> he thought miserably. _My secret is out. Now my destiny can never be fulfilled… I've let Arthur down._ Another thought, a terrible thought, struck him. _What's going to happen to Gaius? Uther's going to kill him along with me! I have to-_

Footsteps stopped Merlin's train of thought. He stood up, ready to take whatever was about to be thrown at him- verbally or physically.

It was Arthur. Merlin sighed with relief. He walked over to the bars. He found he was smiling, but stopped. How was Arthur going to react to his secret?

"Arthur?" He asked uncertainly.

"I can make a skyline of Camelot, using a candle and a twig," Arthur said quietly. He frowned and shook his head. "But I need parchment." These words were spoken slowly, as if he were trying to pronounce them properly.

"What?" Merlin asked.

"But I need parchment," Arthur said again.

Merlin did a double take. "Say something."

"Parchment!" Arthur exclaimed.

Merlin saw it that time. A flash of bright blue light in his eyes. Merlin started to laugh, relief sweeping through him.

Arthur looked annoyed. "Merlin, say squash!" He folded his arms. "Apples aren't wood," he said, almost sulkily.

"Don't worry Arthur," Merlin told him, a smile on his face. "I know how to fix this."

Arthur beamed, relieved. "Awooga!" He exclaimed.

Merlin recognised Arthur's symptoms that were similar to a baffling spell he'd cast on a village boy when he was young. The boy had made fun of his appearance, so Merlin told him he was talking a load of rubbish. As he said it, his eyes glowed gold and the boy began speaking nonsense. Merlin had thought it was hilarious… until Hunith gave him the look that only a mother could give. He soon righted the boys' speech. What was influencing Arthur now couldn't be too different.

Merlin closed his eyes and murmured some words of magic, his hand pointed at Arthur.

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><p>Arthur saw Merlin raise his hand and mutter words that sounded like they should have been coming from his own lips- they sounded ridiculous! Arthur had closed his eyes when Merlin had started his incantation… but he felt no change when he'd stopped. He opened his eyes and looked at Merlin.<p>

"Did it work?" Arthur asked. He grinned- that's exactly what he'd _meant_ to say. "Yes!" He moved to the cell door and opened it, smiling at Merlin. Merlin, however, seemed unsure. Arthur frowned. _Surely,_ he thought, _Merlin would want to escape? God knows what my Father will do to him if he doesn't._ "What's wrong?" He asked.

"You're… you aren't angry?" He asked timidly. He was looking at his feet and fiddling with his fingers.

Arthur walked over to him and laid a hand on his shoulder. "You saved my life… now it's my turn to return the favour."

Merlin looked up into Arthur's eyes. "You're helping me escape?"

Arthur smiled. "I can't let my best friend die, can I?"

"… Are you sure that's not the spell talking?"

They both smiled.

"Shut up, Merlin."

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><p><strong>Please R&amp;R and let me know what you think, but if you flame, I will squirt you with a fire extinguisher ^_^<strong>

**P.s did you get my Bradley James reference? heeheeheehee ^_^**


	2. Chapter 2

_**A/N: Helloooooo! I have to apologise- me and my brother had completely forgotten about this (oops)**__** and he lost the challenge I set him ages ago. We got talking about the awesomeness that is Merlin and he set me this challenge- "Merlin tells Arthur he has magic and then has to make him forget, in 1000 words." I have to say it was a little difficult, but I think I've managed to do it justice lol.**_

_**I hope you enjoy it and forgive me my forgetfulness *sheepish puppy dog face***_

_**Enjoy!**_

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><p>What had started as a simple hunting trip, had quickly turned into a waking nightmare.<p>

They had happened upon a lake and Arthur, being the insufferable prat that he was, decided to skip some stones… which woke an aggressive Water Dryad- an ancient being, with the ability to detect the faintest deceit within anyone and force them to speak the truth.

Although she was powerful and hostile, it cannot be denied that she was beautiful. She had smooth skin, the colour of the ocean, hair that rippled like silk underwater and eyes like burning sapphires.

She bound Merlin and Arthur with tendrils of reed. Arthur struggled to break free, but this only caused his bonds to tighten.

"What do you want with us?" he asked.

"I see what lies within your soul, Arthur Pendragon. You cannot hide from me."

Arthur frowned, unnerved. "What do you mean?" When she still refused to answer, he repeated the question. "What do you want from us?"

"A truth," she said simply. She looked from Arthur to Merlin with her piercing stare. "From both of you."

"A truth? Why?"

"I have my reasons."

_This can't end well,_ Merlin thought.

"I can see what lies inside, the secrets that reside within the deepest recesses of your soul, secrets that you yourself may be unaware of. When you lock your gaze with mine, you will reveal unto me a truth- a truth you want the other to know not."

… _Oh no._

She stared into Arthurs eyes and he seemed to go into a trance. For a few moments nothing happened, then Arthur opened his mouth and his truth was revealed. "I am in love."

The Dryad smiled. "With whom?"

"Guinevere." The shocked expression on his face would have had Merlin laughing if he wasn't about to reveal his own secret. "I am in love, with Guinevere… and I wish for her to rule beside me as Queen."

The Dryad nodded. "I am pleased." She waved her hand gracefully and Arthurs bonds fell away. She turned to Merlin. He turned to avoid her gaze and instead looked at Arthur, who frowned.

"Come on, Merlin, it can't be that bad. Just tell her what she wants to know."

He looked pleadingly at Arthur. _But you won't want to know._ Arthur continued to frown. _I'm sorry, Arthur… please forgive me._

He turned and looked at the figure of beauty and terror before him. Her gaze was hypnotic and he couldn't resist opening his mouth, even though he desperately wanted to. "I have magic."

She smiled. "I am pleased." The reeds binding Merlin were peeled away. "I shall allow you to go in peace, but should you ever disturb my slumber again, I shall not show you such leniency a second time." And with that she plunged back into the lake, leaving nothing but a soft ripple on its surface.

Merlin looked at Arthur. He was frowning again, but not with confusion.

"You… have magic?"

Merlin took a deep breath. "Arthur, I-" but Arthur had already turned and walked back into the forest. "Arthur, wait!"

He started to run after him, but stopped. _I've failed… Albion will never be born._ He hung his head and followed Arthur.

The journey back was spent in silence. Arthur didn't even look back at Merlin, who took that as a sign his fate was sealed. Just as they reached the courtyard, he ran ahead and stopped Arthur in his tracks.

"Whatever you're about to do, Gaius isn't to blame… don't let him come to harm because of what I am."

"Arthur!" It was Uther. "A good hunt, I presume?"

Arthurs eyes flicked towards Merlin. "Rather uneventful I'm afraid, Father."

"Better luck next time."

"Thank you."

Merlin stared at Arthur as he accompanied his father into the castle, then rushed home to tell Gaius of the events that had transpired.

After much discussion and deliberation, Merlin decided to attempt to remove the memory of that afternoon from the Princes mind. A tricky bit of magic, but necessary if he wanted to keep his head where it belonged. Arthur hadn't mentioned Merlins magic to Uther, but that didn't mean he wouldn't change his mind.

That night, Merlin snuck into Arthurs chambers and placed a hand over his head, murmuring the words of the incantation to modify his memory. The warlocks eyes shone gold and Arthur rolled over, undisturbed.

Merlin barely slept that night and could hardly bring himself to enter the Princes chamber the next morning. But he couldn't put it off any longer.

"Good morning, Sire," he said quietly as he entered with Arthurs breakfast.

Arthur frowned. "What's wrong with you? You look like you've seen a ghost."

"No ghost, my Lord." _Just a Water Dryad._ he took a breath. "What do you remember about yesterday."

"We went hunting," he said, condescendingly.

_He seems to be back to normal. _"Did we… come across a lake?"

Arthur frowned. "No. Why?"

_It worked._ "No reason, I must have dreamt it."

"Well, you're not dreaming now," Arthur told him. "I'm training the new recruits this morning and they're going to need a moving target."

… _Great._

"Then, I need you to clean my bedroom, polish my armour, wash my clothes and muck out my stables." He looked at Merlin and smiled.

"Nothing would give me greater pleasure," Merlin said.

"Good."

As they made their way down to the training grounds, they passed Gwen on the stairs. Merlin greeted her as usual, but Arthur just nodded courteously. Merlin stopped dead.

_He's not just forgotten my secret, he's forgotten his own as well!_ Merlin cursed himself for meddling with Arthurs mind. _But I had no choice! Arthur isn't ready to know about my magic yet and, well,_ he thought anxiously,_ if Arthur wants Gwen, and only Gwen, to rule beside him as Queen, surely his feelings for her will emerge in their own time? If they're destined to rule Albion together, one memory spell won't tamper with that… will it?_

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><p><strong><em>AN: Thanks for reading and as always, let me know what you think- constructive criticism is always apprciated :)_**

**_And also, if theres a challenge you'd like to set me yourself, don't hesitate to put it in your review or PM me. I'll give it my best shot! ^_^ _**


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